Aljamain Sterling reacts to Petr Yan dethroning Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323

Former UFC champion Aljamain Sterling has given his thoughts on Petr Yan defeating Merab Dvalishvili at UFC 323.

In the main event of UFC 323, Petr Yan defeated Merab Dvalishvili to become the new UFC bantamweight champion. It was an absolutely incredible performance from the Russian sensation, to the point where on two scorecards, he won by four rounds to one. After years of being away from the title picture, he has finally been able to work his way back to the very top.

RELATED: UFC 323 Results: Petr Yan defeats Merab Dvalishvili (Highlights)

When he first lost the belt, Yan was disqualified in a title fight against Aljamain Sterling. In the rematch, Sterling put forward a much better performance and earned a split decision win. Given that he was 0-3 against this team heading into Saturday night, but he put all of that noise to bed with a comprehensive victory.

In a recent tweet, Sterling, who was in the corner of his friend Merab Dvalishvili, was quick to congratulate his former rival Yan.

Congrats to Yan and his team. They fought well tn and made great adjustments. I can’t wait to watch it back with Merab, and plan for the comeback! Some things looked a little off but maybe that was what Yan was doing? We’ll take a look, heal up and go again. This is the journey…

— Aljamain Sterling (@funkmasterMMA) December 7, 2025

Sterling reacts to Yan’s victory over Dvalishvili at UFC 323

“Congrats to Yan and his team. They fought well tn and made great adjustments. I can’t wait to watch it back with Merab, and plan for the comeback! Some things looked a little off but maybe that was what Yan was doing? We’ll take a look, heal up and go again. This is the journey of a fighter. I hope you all enjoyed the battle. Until next time!”